


Comfort Measures

by Rivulet027



Category: Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-09-23 15:38:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17083058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rivulet027/pseuds/Rivulet027
Summary: Eddie has nightmares of losing Venom.





	Comfort Measures

**Author's Note:**

  * For [monicawoe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/monicawoe/gifts).



> Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Marvel.

Venom wakes to distress. He wakes up to adrenaline flooding Eddie’s body and Eddie tossing and twisting in his sheets. He wakes to Eddie dreaming that they’ve lost each other. Until now Eddie’s dreams have been fuzzy or pleasant, but this is agony. Venom tries to push at the dream, make Eddie realize that Venom isn’t going anywhere, but Eddie is convinced that they’re separated, that he’ll never see Venom again.

I’m not leaving. I wouldn’t leave. Venom tries to reassure. Eddie continues to toss and turn. Venom calls out to him increasing his volume until Eddie is sitting up in bed breathing hard. Venom lets himself come out of Eddie’s body enough that he can nudge Eddie’s shoulder and complains. You’re sweaty and short of breath.

Eddie groans and wraps his arms around Venom, pulling him close.

I’m not a pet! Venom protests.

“I thought I lost you,” Eddie murmurs, pressing a kiss to Venom’s head.

Only because your dream was mean.

“Nightmare. It was just a nightmare. You’re still here with me.”

Venom isn’t sure if Eddie is trying to reassure himself or both of them, but it seems to be enough to calm Eddie’s racing heart and let him drift back off to sleep. Venom waits to slip back into Eddie’s body once Eddie’s in a deeper stage of sleep and tries not to feel flattered that Eddie’s fear is losing them or that his mere presence was enough of a comfort for Eddie to leave the bad dream behind.

Venom doesn’t bring it up later, deciding to give Eddie time to broach the subject if he wants to, but the next night it’s more of the same, except it takes longer and more reassurances for Eddie to calm and go back to sleep.

These bad dreams are interrupting your sleep cycle. It’s unacceptable. Venom tells Eddie the next morning.  
Eddie crunches on his cereal and shrugs. “Nightmares happen. I did nearly lose you. I thought I lost you.”

You didn’t. I am here. We are together. Venom reassures.

“Yeah, well I guess I’m still dealing with that,” Eddie grumbles.

Venom wants to grumble back, but learning more seems like the better option.

Eddie sighs. “Look, losing you…”

Didn’t loses us! Venom protests.

“I thought I did and after when I know I didn’t I still thought I’d lose you.”

You’re trying to use flattery to distract us from investigating!

Eddie groans and rubs at his face, “Can we at least finish breakfast first?”

Yes!

Eddie suggest google. Venom suggests they wait till their weekly lunch with Dora and Blue. 

“You just want to have a complaint session about how weird humans are,” Eddie teases.

It helps that we aren’t the only ones, that we have someone to talk to.

“I’m grateful they survived too,” Eddie agrees.

They meet later that afternoon in an outdoor café and settle down to sandwiches and overpriced hot chocolate. Venom and Blue love hot chocolate.

“Do you have nightmares?” Venom asks through Eddie.

“Sometimes,” Dora admits. “We did a lot of horrible things at the Life Foundation, some of that’s going to stay with me for awhile.”

“So it’s normal?”

“Everyone has nightmares, it’s only a problem if it’s chronic, if it happens a lot,” Dora continues to explain.

“It’s happened the last two nights,” Venom complains.

“It would need to happen over a longer period of time to be chronic,” Dora explains gently.

“What can I do to help?” Venom demands.

Dora takes a sip of her hot chocolate and takes a moment to think about it. “It really depends on what the dream is about?”

“He fears he’s lost us,” Venom tells her, then sends reassurance to Eddie when he feels Eddie protesting.

“Let me talk to him,” Dora tells Venom.

Venom sighs, but retreats, let Eddie have control. He listens as Dora asks several pointed questions.

“Changing the ending won’t help, because you got what you want. Have you two talked about it?”

“We should,” Eddie admits. “What else helps?”

“Establishing a bedtime routine,” Blue suggests. “That seemed to help us.”

“Bedtime routine?”

Blue nods Dora’s head. “We take a hot bath and read a book, then brush our teeth and get into pajamas. We check on each of her children, then got to bed.”

“Got anything else?”

“Reassurances, something you find comfort in,” Dora suggests.

The four of them come up with a few ideas. That night they decide to try and establish a routine. Eddie decides not to take a shower as that tends to wake him up. Venom suggest a bath. Eddie protests that it’s self-indulgent.

You deserve self-indulgent! We deserve self-indulgent!

They soak briefly, but the tub isn’t large enough to really let Eddie stretch out and be comfortable. They give up and brush their teeth. Eddie checks that all the lights in his apartment are off and that his door is locked before he heads to his bedroom and changes into comfortable sleep pants.

They wake up to a nightmare hours later. Eddie groans and rolls onto his back, “You’re here. I’m here. We’re together.”

Yes. Venom agrees.

With a sigh Eddie gets up and makes himself a glass of warm milk. He rubs at his temples, then rinses the cup before putting it in the dishwasher. He brushes his teeth and heads back into bed. Venom stirs outside of him. He nudges the side of Eddie’s head with his own. I love you Eddie. I’m not going anywhere.

“I know love. I know,” Eddie agrees as he wraps his arms around Venom and drifts back towards sleep. “This is only the first night.”

We’ll try again tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that. Venom agrees.

Eddie sleeps through the rest of the night, but the next night he’s having difficulty getting comfortable. Venom nudges at his arms with his head. Eddie wraps arms around him with a tired, grateful murmur. He’s asleep in moments and nightmare free. It probably won’t last, but together they’ll figure it out.


End file.
